30 April 2012

this week i'm going to next. it's my first time. i kind of want to celebrate with a new dress. a new dress that will allow me to eat and drink everything placed in front of me, and there will be a lot, i will need room. also, there will be cocktails, because it's the week before election day, and my momis running.

29 April 2012

okay ladies and gents. start your week of right and make a crack pie. i kid you not, everyday you come home and have some of this scrumptious pie waiting for you, will be a good day. i've made it a few times now and everyone who has nibbled on it has also turned around and made it (if that isn't a good recommendation i don't know what is).

a couple of quick notes:

1. there is an overnight chill required to let the pie gooeyness set-up. i didn't read the directions very well and didn't allot for that time. in the end it was fine, i just chilled it as long as i could, but then again i did overcook it.

2. it is stupid easy to overcook this beast. and i did, every time i tried. but i now know that you take it out of the oven when the center still looks uncooked. it will be all wobbly and the sides will be barely set and you will think that you need a few more minutes. but you don't. those few more minutes will effectively cook the center and give you a delicious, though no longer gooey, pie.

3. they say serve cold, we did not. maybe had i not overcooked it to the point of turning it into something closely resembling toffee when chilled then it would have been fine. but ours needed to be room temperature in order to enjoy.

4. dry milk powder, it took me four groceries to find this stuff. but you should know i was limited to what was within walking/biking/i need it fucking right now distance. in the end i paid way too much at our thoroughly over priced organic market. maybe whole foods sells it? i dunno, but our harris teeter and safeway people looked at me like i had lost my mind when i asked them.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.

Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.

27 April 2012

i'm one of those people who would happily shell out eight dollars for a small box of granola. it's one of my most favorite things in the world. but then, i realized, it was stupid to pay eight dollars for eight oz. of granola and instead i've started to make my own. with olive oil and maple syrup and pretty much anything we have sitting in our pantry. it's delicious and we eat it by the pound now, not the ounce.

frances finally got over being scared of the new piece of furniture in the house and now is busy making it filthy. i've covered it in a ridiculous number of blankets to keep her paws, and her mouth, off of the very light upholstery. so far it's working.

and then, that's about all that happened this week. it was pretty blah. there was some rain, a little bit of cool weather, and a whole lot reading. today i'm planning on spending some hours looking at art. it's been too long. also, maybe the prius will be done? i'm feeling trapped these days without a car. honestly, you people who live in a city that is not new york and don't have a car, how do you do it?! it's not been super hard, and i've totally taken advantage of the new little smart cars scattered about town, but it's seems silly to pay for a morning jaunt to target to just look around and maybe pick up some toilet paper.

this weekend i'm purging our house. we have too much crap. it's ridiculous there is stuff everywhere. also i think i might make some corn cookies, because it's been too long. and mop the floor. i've yet to mop all of the floors since we moved in ... ten months ago. yikes.

that couch? we need it. that bench, another need. they are perfect. beyond perfect actually, they are everything i've dreamed of.

they need to be in our living room across from one and other with our soon to be awesome reclaimed wood coffee table. but, our budget right now for anything, let alone living room furniture v.5 doesn't add up to seven thousand dollars. if it was even close i'd jump on these bad boys in a heart beat, but alas, we've decided to go a different route, one we can AFFORD. one that gets a couch into the living room and doesn't look stupid.

though i do have a few gripes about the whole buying and receiving of west elm goods. there was one friendly person along the way and everyone else was kind of rude. also, the additional fifty dollars for removal of a cardboard box and styrofoam ... lame. and should i really complain about this? i'm not sure, it's kind of pathetic, but i had to put it together. i paid more for delivery of this small couch than i did for every bit of furniture we've nabbed from crate & barrel and that all came from friendly men and completely assembled. don't think i'm afraid of assembly, i'm not, half of our house is from ikea, i.e assembled ourselves, but the whole lack of customer service at every step was relatively annoying. i guess it was perhaps the final straw.

so now we have a place to sit that isn't totally wrong for the room, and actually looks pretty decent with my favorite chair (which apparently we can no longer order, which sucks cause we need a second). now we just have to get the new window and rid ourselves oft he eighteen bajillion paint cans hanging out near the fireplace and we'll be ready to go.

24 April 2012

marbling. this one is tricky. super tricky ... or i am an idiot, it really could go either way. anyway i'm going to try it again, but for now here it goes. if you have better luck or come across any secrets, etc do let me know.

first, start with a base coat. i went dark, this cooler weather has had me wanting darker, less sorbet colored finger tips.

second, take a few colors of polish and a glass that is full of water. drop a couple drops of polish onto the surface of the water and manipulate the dots until you get your marble design of choice.

third, gently dip your nail into the water, just so it skims the surface. remove, again, gently. the polish will string off of surface and onto your nail, so be careful. it helps to flatten that excess and then just not worry about it.

fourth, repeat steps - first through third - until you've marbled as many fingers as you'd like.

fifth, top coat. you know the drill. finally go around and clean up all of the extra polish that will no doubt be all over your fingers.

then, sixth, once you get it down, email me your secrets so my future tries aren't as lame.

20 April 2012

there was a neon belt and gingham shorts, also gold boat shoes and a chambray shirt ... hello prep.

the viewing of a shuttle being shuttled to it's new forever home by way of a 747.

there was frances sleeping on the chair, putting her dirty paws where they don't belong.

there was the massive blooming of one of our very old and established rose bushes. anxiously waiting for the other two to follow suit.

and there was a delivery of eggs. ever since we signed up for our green grocer delivery we've received a dozen of these a week, until last week, when there was a shortage. it was one of the saddest weeks.

and then there is the weekend. we've a couple of friends coming to town and are planning on another million calorie weekend (will tourist season please be OVER, i'm eating way too much). there will also be live tapings of jeopardy, watched by us. oh and the destruction of a bookshelf ... you know to make way for a new window. what are you up to?

19 April 2012

so this week, it's on to our kitchen. i'd say it's likely the most *done* spot in the house. with the exception of the electrical outlets needing to be replaced, and well, the dream of wanting to turn that whole back wall into giant glass sliding doors. also, if i can ever get my hands on a larger sized smeg, well, then we'll have to get a new fridge.

BEFORE

gross appliances that smelled of ketchup and cigarettes, tile floor with grout that matched the tile. oh wait, no, that was years and years of caked up grease and shoe dirt. fallen crumbs crushed one after the next into the floor. cigarette ashes fallen. and god only knows what else. it was DISGUSTING. the kind of disgusting that makes you want to vomit when cleaning. the kind of disgusting that takes two people seven hours and several wire brushes to clean. so um, yeah, it's kind of a light grey/neutral colored grout.

red countertops. the lady who used to live here, she really liked red. also a ceiling fan. which in retrospect, kind of a good idea. but whatever. when we took it down we found a good inch of crap and dust on every last one of those fan blades. again, GROSS.

the worlds most awesome window, which we are thinking about getting rid of. mas hates it, i love it, it's a constant battle. i think he's winning. but if we do get rid of it, where will our kitchen aid and deep fryer go? hmmmm, it's tricky this small kitchen thing.

AFTER

lower cabinets and countertops removed. sink, fridge, stove, removed. upper cabinet doors removed. i really, REALLY wanted to toss them completely. i really, REALLY wanted to replace them with very cool wooden shelves. but you know what? if we had taken down those cabinets the walls would have crumbled and we would have been forced to build new walls. we did not have a budget to build new walls. so, alas, the cabinets stay. for now. maybe one day, when we end up getting rid of the back wall with the door and the window, maybe then we will run the risk of taking down those cabinets. but honestly it scares the hell out me. so maybe not.

goodbye ceiling fan, hello light fixture. we wanted two of these hanging, but we have neither the space nor the electrical capacity. whatever. one is fine. also, shelves. we did get a couple of shelves and for that i am happy. oh and then island, we built an entire island. that big empty space under the ceiling fan, it's quite useful these days. we eat there, i work there, sometimes frances even sleeps under there. it's great. also it increases the countertop space by about 1000%.

and did you see the living things? a few wonderful living things are living in our kitchen. it's been a while and they've not died yet. one point for me.

17 April 2012

FADING COLOR!!! ok, so these might just be my favorite nails to date, as in ever. i stole the idea from the beauty department and simplified. i fully appreciate the fact that they own so many different nail colors, and their addition of water kind of makes sense after trying these myself, but totally unescessary. really, the following is all you need :

2 colors of nail polish, or, you could just go with 1 i guess and have it fade into clear ...
1 make up sponge.

1. take the makeup sponge and paint a line of each color. make 'em wider than you think your thumb nail is and don't forget, they should be overlapping ... this is messy, but TOTALLY worth it. i started with dark, brushed it twice, then two brushes of light and then i alternated light over dark a few times ... you know to get a blend. i did not wet my sponge and i did not test on paper first, but if you'd like you can.

2. roll the sponge from left to right over your nail, once, twice and a third time. voila. fancy ass nails. cover with two top coats (this is important these nails are uber textured and look weird if you don't go crazy with the top coat). an aside, i had to reload my sponge every third nail or so and then did one final fresh roll over each, well minus one of my pinkies, because it totally didn't need it.

3. with a q-tip and polish remover, remove all of the polish on your skin. there will be a lot, but again, totally worth it. another thing i do is wait a couple of hours and wash your hair (or do the dishes). this takes the excess polish off of my skin/cuticles in no time. also, less of a risk in hitting your freshly painted nails with acetone. but i tend to have to wait at least two hours before dipping in hot water in order for my polish not to shrink up on me. what is that?

16 April 2012

over the weekend we did a little bit of celebrating. mas is one year older and i am about ten pounds heavier. we had crack pie, times two, and chocolate cake. also we went out with a dear friend saturday night and found ourselves eating frito pies (oh and tater tot pies) at two in the morning. it was fun, but let me tell you, sunday i woke up and thought i might die.

we converged in the kitchen for breakfast around 11, so late for me, had oatmeal because no one could stomach the thought of even eggs, and then we sat, drank water/coffee/orange juice, and attempted to rehydrate.

at 1:30 we went on a twenty mile bike ride through the city, it was warm. at 4:00 we were cleaned and STARVING. we headed down the street to have sliders and pizza (hello healthy, i know). i was a zombie. it was my first actual bike ride in about a year and it was SUNNY. i hate the sun, it drains me, so does biking for that matter. i had a slider, some salad and a piece of peperoni pizza. they boys had three cocktails a piece and the rest of the food. they were fine, maybe that was my mistake, no cocktail.

around 6:00 we ended up back home and the weather outside was lovely. mas was suffering from an oncoming benadryl coma and i was just suffering from the past 24 hours. we took a sheet, the dog and a bottle of water three doors down to the little triangle of a park. we slept for an hour. then we came home, mas took another nap, and i figured out that those shorts i purchased in january are far from comfortable. apparently my lifestyle of eating a lot and exercising not at all is catching up with me.

long story short, mas and i had a discussion about diets and personal challenges and exercise. turns out we disagree on just about everything (except for the fact that a diet is NOT THE ANSWER, we both agree that is the case) and doing this together doesn't seem to be the best idea. so, he's going to bike to work and exercise more and i'm going to run every day (yeah right) and stop eating solids. i kid, i kid, but maybe i'll not keep corn cookie dough in the freezer any more.

13 April 2012

after wishing for a good week, it finally came. monday was a wash, tuesday sucked, but wednesday through friday = some of the best ever. there was lots of lasagna eating (kind of happy that's over), printing (!!!!), cake making (happy bday mas), and chilly mornings (curled and buried k-9, bottom right).

12 April 2012

so, tuesdays will be for nails, and thursdays for house! watch out, consistency, here i come? we'll see about that.

onto house. as you know, or do you? about 10 months ago (holy jesus) we bought a little row house in dc. it smelled of cigaretts and mold. everything we touched magically turned to dust. it was and still is a real fixer upper, though not total shit hole, i'm only being slightly dramatic when i speak of it.

we're slow with projects. mostly because we have to save the money for the project first and figure out how to diy things like electrical (not the best idea) and painting (i'm a pro, no really i am) second. but we are getting there, i think i've mentioned that.

and now, without any styling and a whole lot of crap ... sorry guys that is just the way we roll these days ... here are some befores and nows. i'm not going to say afters because as you can see we still don't have the furniture figured out and there is a massive construction project that is going to be taking place in the next few weeks (see below for more on that)!!!!

BEFORE

this is what it looked like the day after we closed. what nice light, and a real wood burning fireplace!! but the carpet was rank (hello chain smoker and pet pisser) and the walls were red. i really don't understand red walls, but to each their own, i guess. check out that moulding! isn't it fantastic?

the real proof of the cigarettes is above, i mean visual proof, had you been standing where i was while taking this photo, you would be coughing. but that streaky funk that you can see in the upper spots of the book shelves, yeah that's nicotine. we scrubbed that grossness off, it only took some tsp and about four hours.

AFTER

ahhhh, now look at it. no couch, we're still figuring that one out, but WOOD FLOORS, GREY WALLS, WHITE TRIM, MOST FAVORITE CHAIR EVER (the one in the background, that is, the big white one is too big for the space and so it's being banished to the bedroom). as for the coffee table? i don't know where it's going, but it ain't staying there. also i convinced mas to let me take those shutters down. i know, i know, you love them, right? yeah so did he. but you know what? they are impractical and big and noisy and frankly, they are ughly. i'm sorry if you can't see that, we don't all have good taste.

ohhhhh, white bookshelf!!! isn't it so much better? yeah i know. and good thing because that bitch was a bitch to paint. have i ever told you that super shiny trim paint is my most hated foe? seriously such a pain in the ass. but wait, what is that on the left you say? the original scummy nicotine laced bookshelf?? why yes, yes it is, you are totally right. but, wait for it .....

in approximately six weeks it will be a window, a big one, and it will be awesome. which means - we bit the bullet and bought windows. well, signed a contract and put a deposit down. i didn't tell you this before, but our current windows are plexi-glass (i kid you not) and are falling into the storms. our electric bill in the summer is stupid and so is our gas bill in the winter. here's hoping this will help. either way it will be awesome. i'm such a nut for nice windows (WHO AM I?).

so, it's coming along this little house of ours, and you'll be happy to know that we have had people over. and we are again having people over. last time there was that chair and a half to sit on though, this time that's in the basement. maybe i'll purchase some floor pillows. or maybe, we'll have a fire and sit outside after dinner. that sounds lovely.

11 April 2012

i would like to be better about purchasing lovely, delicate and versatile pieces. not that my plaid button downs and jeans aren't wonderful, but i just think they might be a touch casual for my everyday life. i'd really like to be able to nail the casual look that borders the line of sophisticated (which is asking a lot, i know). basically i need to give a shit more often ... or at least look like i do.

remember way back when, that time i put glitter on my nails? well despite the fact that i posted that ages ago, i've decided to run with the idea now. a weekly nail how-to if you will. i mean, i'm still painting my nails every 3-5 days and every once in a while i love them. so i'm starting the series today, and with a massive nail project nevertheless.

ok, it's not THAT massive, but it looks it. in fact it requires very little stuff (if you don't count the number of nail colors) and just a bit more patience.

what you need - a paper clip, some tape (i used washi as it is all i have readily available, but scotch works too) and nail polish.

what you do - paint your nails with a base color as you would ... finish them with a top coat and let dry. you guys, this is the only top coat i use ... THE ONLY ONE. and i love it. after your nails are dry take the tape and tape 'em off as illustrated above. or use the end of a paper clip dipped into a dollop of polish to go the dot route. then re-coat with the super shiny top coat, let dry and instagram them ... we can be samesies, wouldn't that be fun?

09 April 2012

the past weekend was a bit less than stellar. i mean, we got stuff done, like the floor and trim of our basement!! and there was the marathon cooking of lasagna/tons of bolognese that will keep us fed for the next few weeks. but there was also the car accident that has left us carless for the next month*, the opening and assembling of a bed from ikea that is missing the mid-beam rendering it completely useless (did i mention we have no car for the next month and ikea is FAR?), the cancellation of a brunch reservation that took me A MONTH TO GET (again, no car = no trip to baltimore for one of the most popular brunch spots around, their dinner is delish, have you locals been?), and the general moping-ness that sometimes just happens. so all in all it's left me very excited about this monday. it's a new day, a new week, and a new start. because sometimes you just need a fucking new start. also leftover lasagna. what is better than leftover lasagna??

*we very nearly just ditched the prius for a this (TDI, of course), which we've been thinking about past year, but we're apparently so specific we'd have to have it ordered which would take four months and really, maybe, we'd rather throw that money elsewhere .... like on tearing out that kitchen wall and turning it into giant glass sliding doors??

04 April 2012

a while ago i bought the grey ones (top left). but they were really quite large on my face, as in took up the whole thing. i wore them to pick mas up at the train, and he didn't notice right away. but every time i saw my reflection i only saw the glasses. so, i sent them back, just too big. ever since i've kind of regretted it.

and now, they come in classic havana. i'm THIS close to trying them again. but half of me thinks i should start with the sunglasses, you know, ease my way into the bigness? plus they are really good sunglasses.